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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24474811">Point of No Return</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeruthin/pseuds/Aeruthin'>Aeruthin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Originals - Daemons AU [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Originals (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Daemons, Angst, Blood Drinking, Canonical Character Death, Canonical Child Abuse, Daemon Feels, Daemon Separation, Death, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Non Consensual Daemon Touching, The Major Character Death tag is for the canonical deaths, Vampire Turning, Vampires, can be ignored, sibling incest (if you squint)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:34:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24474811</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeruthin/pseuds/Aeruthin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Esther always said that the bond between a human and their daemon could not be broken.</p><p>It was one of the many lies she had told.</p><p>But Eira only understood it fully on the night they were given wine laced with blood, and Mikael ran his sword through Klaus' heart.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elijah Mikaelson &amp; Klaus Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson &amp; Rebekah Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson/Klaus Mikaelson (if you squint), Klaus Mikaelson &amp; Rebekah Mikaelson, Klaus Mikaelson/Rebekah Mikaelson (if you squint), Mikael &amp; Klaus Mikaelson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Originals - Daemons AU [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1583035</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Point of No Return</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Eira (Old Norse <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eir">Eir</a>) - mercy, protection<br/>Ragna (Old Norse <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ragna">Ragn-</a>) - counsel, advice<br/>Frey (Old Norse <a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/Frey#etymonline_v_50722">Frey</a>) - lord<br/>Gunhild (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunhild">Germanic</a>) - war, battle</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The air is wonderfully cool compared to the suffocating warmth inside their house, and Klaus takes a deep, grateful breath. He slumps down on one of the large stones surrounding the fireplace, and his wolf-daemon Eira settles down on the ground between his legs. </p><p>They might be able to use the fireplace again soon. The river is already flooding with melt water from the mountains and the days are growing longer. But for now, everyone is still locked inside their homes as soon as the sun disappears, huddled together for warmth. </p><p>Inside, he can vaguely hear his brothers arguing. Finn's haughty tones clash with Elijah's snipe remarks, and Kol interrupts once in a while, probably siding with whomever is losing the argument at the moment, just to keep it going. Klaus has already forgotten what started it, and he has no desire to hear the outcome. </p><p>He curls his fingers in Eira's warm fur. She sighs, her breath visible in the faint light leaking from the house.</p><p>The winter always put everyone on edge, but this evening is worse than usual. Their mother had insisted they all ate together, since she wanted to celebrate the spring equinox. Her friend Ayana had brewed some kind of wine for the occasion, she had said, but it hadn't erased the tension between them. Even Elijah's lioness-daemon Ragna had been prowling the small space of the hut, her tail flashing.</p><p>Mikael had left some time before Klaus made his own escape. He had given a small nod to Esther, who had nodded back. None of the others had noticed. </p><p>"What do you think they are up to?" he asks Eira. Her shoulders move beneath his fingers as she shrugs.</p><p>"Maybe he went to get firewood," she says. But there had been firewood outside the house, so he should have been back already. Klaus wonders if he should look around, but Eira lowers her head and flattens her ears. The last time they got curious, it had not ended well.</p><p>The door opens behind him, and Rebekah steps out into the dark. </p><p>"You were always the smart brother," she says, settling down next to him. Eira presses her nose against Frey's beak, and the gyrfalcon ruffles his wings. </p><p>Klaus shrugs.</p><p>"Neither of them is going to win anyway," he mutters. </p><p>He clenches his hand in Eira's fur, before taking out a little wooden trinket out of his pocket. He always keeps pieces of wood on him, just for occasions like this. Carefully, he starts chopping away small parts with his knife. It's hard to see in the dim light, but he is working on the outlines, so it doesn't matter. </p><p>"What's it going to be?"</p><p>"What do you think it looks like?" He holds it out to her, and she takes it and turns it over.</p><p>"It could be a bird," she says. "Or a fish?"</p><p>"It doesn't look like either of those." </p><p>"Then don't ask," she pouts, giving it back to him. "It looks like a piece of wood."</p><p>Eira snaps at Frey and means to pace away, but she freezes, her body low to the ground. Sure enough, moments later their father emerges from out of the shadows.</p><p>"What are you doing outside?" he barks, taking them in as they jump to their feet.</p><p>"Father - " Rebekah begins, but Mikael interrupts her.</p><p>"No matter." His eyes narrow. "Follow me." </p><p>Klaus glances to Rebekah, but she is as confused as he is. Neither of them dares to disobey, so silently, they trudge after their father as his outline appears and disappears in the darkness in front of them. </p><p>Finally, they stop at a little hut near the edge on the other side, light pouring through the cracks. Klaus frowns, but can't come up with a reason why his father lit the fire. The hut is used for storage only. If food was needed after dark, they would usually just bring a torch. </p><p>"Get inside," Mikael orders. The hut is small, but all of the stock has been removed. </p><p>Eira presses close to Klaus' legs, her unease mirroring his own. Frey is perched on Rebekah's shoulder, his wings slightly extended. His head swirls around as he takes in their surroundings. The four of them barely fit inside and they press together, trying to make room for their father and his bear-daemon.</p><p>Eira realizes it before Klaus does, but not before Mikael pulls the door close behind him, locking them inside. Bile rises in Klaus' throat.</p><p>"Father, where is Gunhild?" he asks, barely above a whisper.</p><p>"Stop asking questions," Mikael says. </p><p>They should have noticed outside, but Gunhild could have been hidden in the darkness, and the notion of a human without their daemon is so horrifying, so disgusting, that Klaus had not even considered it.</p><p>"Get over here, boy," Mikael orders. His movements are wild, and only now Klaus notices his crazed expression. </p><p>Eira whimpers, horrified, and presses herself close to the ground. Klaus backs away slowly. </p><p>Rebekah's eyes are wide. "Father, what are you - "</p><p>Mikael draws his sword.</p><p>Klaus' world grows dim. He can barely breathe, all of his focus drawn towards the steel edge. It is a different one than the one that pinned him against the tree, he notices mutely. His father did not have shortage of weapons. </p><p>Rebekah screams his name as Mikael grabs Klaus' arm, but Klaus barely reacts. His body has gone numb, and his ears are ringing. </p><p>Frey screeches harshly and charges at Mikael, his sharp claws extended. Mikael's hand shoots out, grabbing him in a flash too fast for the eye to follow. Frey's wings beat futilely against his grip before Mikael forcefully throws him against the ground. Rebekah collapses with him, a soft cry escaping her lips. She is shaking violently, and tears stream down her face as she cradles her daemon in her arms.</p><p>Even in his dazed state, Klaus is shocked. Mikael touched Frey. He touched her daemon. He...</p><p>When the sword hits home, it takes a moment for Klaus' mind to catch up. Then the pain explodes and his knees buckle. Eira is whimpering on the ground next to him and dark spots dance across his vision as his lungs refuse to draw in air. The sucking sound must be the sword leaving his chest, but it hardly registers. </p><p>"No," Rebakah whispers. Through the pain, Klaus has never loved his brave little sister more.</p><p>When Mikael turns to Rebekah, Eira lunges at him with her last strength. Her teeth sink into Mikael's calf, but he shakes her off like a rag doll. Feebly, Klaus tries to reach out to them, to both Eira and Rebekah, but his body refuses to move. He is drowning in the raging spring river, the cold and darkness pulling him down.</p><p>He can do nothing but watch as Mikael plunges the sword in Rebekah's chest. </p><p>The last thing he sees is Frey, beautiful Frey, disappearing in a cloud of Dust.
</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>
Klaus gasps awake. His lungs burn as he desperately draws in air, and the hut swims around him. He rolls to his side and struggles to his knees, coughing violently. </p><p>The image of Frey disappearing just like Henrik's Thora is burned inside his mind, and a muffled scream tears from his throat.</p><p>How are we alive?</p><p>Next to him, Rebekah is on her knees as well. Klaus tries to say something, to call out to her, but his breath catches in his chest. An ache is spreading deep within him, a loneliness which knows no bound, tearing at him from the inside out, leaving an endless, bleeding hole.</p><p>Something is wrong, so so terribly wrong. </p><p>
  <em>Where are you?</em>
</p><p>A wail escapes Rebekah's lips and he reaches out to her blindly. They cling to each other, their nails digging into each others flesh, as if they can become one and fill the emptiness inside. </p><p>"We'll be alright, we'll be alright," he whispers over and over again, but he barely hears himself through the ringing in his ears, can barely see through his tears. </p><p>He has been ripped in half, and the pain is worse than any beating he has ever had to endure. It is a sorrow pulling on his very soul, an endless wail echoing deep inside.</p><p>
  <em>Where are you?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eira, where are you?</em>
</p><p>Vaguely, he notices the door opening. Mikael drags in Sigrid, who lives next to the mill, not far from their home. Her daemon, a sparrow, flutters around anxiously as he pushes her to her knees. </p><p>"Drink!" Mikael snarls. "We have to finish what we started."</p><p>Rebekah shakes her head, tears streaming down her face, and Frey should be there to reassure her, to defend her, but he is gone, gone in a cloud of Dust.</p><p>
  <em>Come back, Eira, please come back, I'm sorry. Please...</em>
</p><p>Mikael slices his knife over the Sigrid's wrist, and blood wells up. As the metallic smell fills the room, Klaus imagines he can hear her rapid heartbeat, as if trying to escape her chest, fluttering as desperately as her daemon.</p><p>Mikael pushes the girl's wrist towards Rebekah.</p><p>"I said, drink!"</p><p>Rebekah's lips close on the wound, and to Klaus' shock, she bites down harder instead of pulling away. Her throat moves as she swallows and when she finally does stop, her mouth is stained red.</p><p>"You're turn, boy," Mikael says, and pushes Sigrid towards him. "I would let you die, but your mother insists."</p><p>Sigrid is shaking, but doesn't otherwise react. Her daemon has collapsed on the ground, it's little chest moving rapidly and beak open, but its wings still. Klaus hesitates, but his Father's forceful hand leaves him no choice.</p><p>When Klaus' mouth touches the wound, everything else falls away.</p><p>His body flares to life, all weakness and all exhaustion burned away. The blood sings in his veins, like the summer sun or clear sky, glorious and omnipresent, filling him with raw energy and power.</p><p>He never wants it to stop.</p><p>When the arm is pulled away from him, Klaus growls. </p><p>The colors around him shine with a nearly overwhelming vibrancy, and he gasps, enthralled. The maroon reds of the fire twist and twirl around him, mixing with the strong browns of the surrounding walls. The blues of his sister's eyes are as clear as the summer sky, and the yellow of her hair shines like gold. </p><p>He wants to touch her, explore her through these new found senses, but Mikael's harsh voice pierces through her beauty. Instinctively, Klaus moves to block his ears, the sound grating. </p><p>"Stay here," Mikael says, dragging the girl away, her daemon in her breast pocket. The door slams close behind him.</p><p>Klaus scrambles to his feet as soon as he is gone, unable to sit still. He reaches out to the walls around him, whishing desperately for his brushes and paint, to capture the colors before they inevitably disappear.</p><p>Disappear, just like...</p><p>Klaus pushes the thought away. The energy sings within him, overpowering all of his pain and fear, and drowning out the nagging voice inside, telling him he is forgetting something vitally important. </p><p>He pushes the door open. The stars outside shine like beacons in the sky, and Klaus stares up at them. The winter cold does not bother him any more, and he wants to look up forever. </p><p>"What is happening to us?" Rebekah whispers, entranced. </p><p>Klaus doesn't have an answer. Conversations between the other villagers drift towards him through the walls of their little huts, in rhythm with their heartbeats. </p><p>And those of their daemons. </p><p>Something pulls at him from deep inside, nipping at him to draw his attention.</p><p>"Come on," he says, pushing it away. He starts walking, and Rebekah follows. The houses on the other side of the square are visible even in the darkness, and he easily makes his way through the village and back towards home.</p><p>How long has it been since Mikael took them? Minutes, hours? Only now his thoughts flicker to his other siblings. Had Mikael done the same to them?</p><p>He quickens his stride and in a flash, he stands in front of their house. The door is closed, and it does not seem any different than before. Klaus tries to listen, but it is difficult to discern anything in the cacophony surrounding him. The crackling of the fire, rustling of the leaves in the trees overhead, the voices of the villagers, they all blend together.</p><p>Rebekah moves past him and pulls open the door. </p><p>Inside, there is chaos. </p><p>The table and benches are thrown to the side, the cups and bowls scattered on the ground. Esther is gone, but Kol and Finn are on their knees near the fire, dazed and shivering, their daemons nowhere to be seen. Klaus' gaze hones in on the blood on their lips, before it snaps to Mikael.</p><p>Their father is standing over Elijah, pressing the wrist of another girl, Brenda, to his mouth. Elijah is drinking heavily, his eyes closed, and Klaus stands frozen as he follows the movement of his brother's throat.</p><p>Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Mikael pulls the girl away. Elijah's moan, bordering on a whine, shakes Klaus to the core. Blood trails down Elijah's chin, and Klaus wants to run his tongue over it, savour the taste and lick him clean until there is nothing left.</p><p>He is halfway across the room before he knows it, and the only thing that stops him is Mikael's heavy hand. His father is even stronger than he remembers, and he cries out as Mikael tightens his grip on his arm.</p><p>"Did I not tell you to stay put?" Mikael snarls, enforcing the last two words and pushing him away. Klaus stumbles backwards. He snarls and something in his face contorts. </p><p>If possible, Mikael becomes even angrier, but before Klaus can do anything, a hand circles around his wrist.</p><p>"We'll go," Elijah says, slightly slurred, and Klaus allows himself to be dragged away by his older brother. Rebekah is close behind as they stumble outside, and then it is just the three of them. </p><p>As if their minds are one, they rush into the forest. The trees and woods are alive like nothing before. Animals are moving about in the undergrowth, while the leaves rustle in the wind, and Klaus can even hear the roar of the waterfall, nearly a day's walk away.  </p><p>They collapse in a small clearing not far from their home, in a spot they used to play often as children. They don't speak, all three of them lost in the their new found senses. </p><p>The only thing grounding Klaus is the reassuring heartbeat of his siblings, pulsing in sync with his own.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>
Ever so slowly, the intensity of the world around Klaus dims, and he is able to look at them properly again. Elijah has a similar dark blood stain on his clothes, and Klaus shivers as he remembers the sword entering Rebekah. </p><p>His sister is curled into herself, but stirs when he touches her hand. She sits up, her gaze turning towards their older brother.</p><p>Klaus crawls over to him. Elijah is sitting with his knees drawn up and his head in his hands. He lifts it when Klaus touches his shoulder, but his gaze remains unfocused. </p><p>Klaus peers at him.</p><p>"Elijah? Brother?"</p><p>Elijah takes a deep, shuddering breath. He presses his palm against his forehead and squeezes his eyes shut. When he blinks them open again, some clarity has returned, and Klaus sighs in relief.</p><p>Elijah frowns at him.</p><p>"You were gone..." he rasps. "Where were...?"</p><p>"Father, he... He took us to the storage hut," Rebekah answers from behind Klaus. "And then he killed us."</p><p>Her voice does not waver, which makes Klaus weirdly proud. Elijah trails his fingers over the patch of blood on Klaus' chest, his expression unreadable. Then his gaze flickers to the empty spot next to him.</p><p>Klaus stands up abruptly, clenching his fists. The longing pulls at him again, more strongly now the rest of his senses are less overwhelming, and desperately, he tries to suppress it. He does not want to feel, because facing the truth...</p><p>He turns around and paces away as Elijah and Rebekah stand and pull each other into a hug. He can't breathe, and a roar builds in his throat.</p><p>Gone, she is...</p><p>"Children?"</p><p>Klaus spins back again. From out of the woods, their mother appears. </p><p>They all stare at her. She is too ordinary, too normal. She does not belong in the strange world they have found themselves caught up in.</p><p>"Mother?" Rebekah whispers, her voice breaking for the first time. She pulls away from Elijah's arms. </p><p>Esther cups her face in her hand and tucks a stray strand of hair behind Rebekah's ear. Her starling daemon flies back and forth above her head, unsure what to do now that Frey is gone.  </p><p>"Are you alright?" Esther asks, addressing all of them. She hesitates. "How are you feeling?"</p><p>And just like that, Klaus realizes the truth. Their mother had been in on it. Of course, their father would never be able to pull this off on his own. Their mother was the true culprit.</p><p>His siblings are talking, but their words don't register. Suddenly they are all moving back towards home. Dazed, he stumbles after them.<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
Kol is pacing back and forth in front of their house, while Finn sits on the large stone near the fireplace, his head in his hands. Mikael stands near them, his arms crossed.</p><p>"Finally," Mikael huffs. </p><p>"Children," Esther starts, taking her place next to Mikael, "I know what this must look like..."</p><p>"Do you?" Kol interrupts, his voice raised. "You fed us blood!"</p><p>"And killed us," Rebekah adds in a whisper.</p><p>"It was necessary," Mikael says forcefully. </p><p>Esther steps in front of him. </p><p>"We have made you powerful. You need not fear anything ever again," she says. She glances briefly at Klaus. "Not even the wolves."</p><p>Klaus swallows, his jaw clenched. </p><p>"We did this to protect you," Esther continues, her tone pleading. "We did this for you."</p><p>"And what of our daemons?" Elijah asks quietly. Despite his soft tone, the words cut through the group. </p><p>"Where are they, Mother?" Elijah whispers. "Frey, Eira, R - " His voice catches, and Klaus wants to scream.</p><p>Esther's eyes are wide, and her starling-daemon flutters anxiously.</p><p>"They will return to you, I promise," she says fiercely, but Klaus can detect the small waver in her voice. "They were not supposed to..."</p><p>"It does not matter," Mikael interrupts, nearly spitting. "The spell worked. You should all be grateful."</p><p>They all remain silent. In the end, Finn is the one who stands.</p><p>"You sought only to protect us, Mother," he says, taking her hands in his. "Thank you."</p><p>The watery smile Esther gives him makes Klaus feel sick.
</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>She is infinite.</p><p>She is endless. </p><p>She is everything and nothing, with no beginning and no end. </p><p>Time is meaningless as she drifts without boundaries, without definition.</p><p>But then, from one moment to the next, she becomes again.</p><p>She fights against it, struggles against the restrictions placed on her, confining her to be one form instead of all forms.</p><p>To be one thing is not to be another, and she wails at the loss of infinite possibility.</p><p>Something pulls on her now solid shape, and up becomes separated from down, space gaining meaning in relation to her own orientation.</p><p>To not be another is to be herself. </p><p>She had a name, she remembers. Before. </p><p>But if there is a before, there is a now.</p><p>Past. Present. </p><p>Future. </p><p>Time becomes linear again. </p><p>She notices a sharp tug on her ear before anything else, and a soft, panicked voice urging her to wake. </p><p>"Eira?" </p><p>That is her name. </p><p>Slowly, her muscles twitch, and she remembers to open her eyes. </p><p>The tugging continues, and instinctively, Eira turns her head away.</p><p>"Stop it," she mumbles, her mouth struggling to form the sounds.</p><p>"Eira!"</p><p> A bird comes into view, his coat white with dots of black. Frey. His name is Frey. </p><p>And Eira watched him die.</p><p>Suddenly wide awake, the memories rushing back, Eira jumps up and spins around, her heart hammering in her chest. Mikael is gone, and she isn't in the hut anymore. Instead, the large branches of the white oak tree in the center of the village spread out above her, obscuring the light of the moon.</p><p>"Where are..." she gasps, unable to continue. Something tugs at her, just behind her heart. </p><p>"I don't know. I woke here too." Frey's voice is small, and his beak is open in stress. He is scared, and Eira's own panic stirs within her. They are alone, and that should not be possible. </p><p>"The others are here," Frey says softly, hopping towards the tree. </p><p>Eira follows him, and sure enough, at the base of the tree, Unn, Runa and Ragna lie curled up together. As they watch, Finn's boar-daemon Unn stirs and struggles upright. Kol's vixen Runa follows soon after, her ears twitching.</p><p>Ragna is the last to wake, and Eira presses her snout against her muzzle in relief. The lioness returns the gesture, even though her movements are slightly dazed.</p><p>"What is going on?" Runa asks. Her eyes are large and round, and she presses close to the ground, her tail protectively curled around her. </p><p>"You poor creatures." </p><p>Eira startles and backs away as a shape emerges from the darkness, pressing close against Ragna. Runa uncurls herself, though, and trots forward. Now she is closer, Eira recognizes Ayana, their mother's closest friend. She has been mentoring Kol for a while now. </p><p>Ayana kneels down and stretched out her hand. Her cat-daemon mews softly in pity, and tentatively reaches out with a paw. Runa presses her head against his, but the cat-daemon flinches back.</p><p>"What has she done to you?" Ayana whispers. Eira shivers at the horror in her voice.</p><p>"Do you know where they are?" Ragna asks tensely. Her eyes are trained on the witch, and her shoulders are hunched.</p><p>Ayana stands. </p><p>"Follow me."</p><p>Eira glances at Ragna for support, but the lioness doesn't notice. Her ears are twisted backwards, and she stares into the darkness.</p><p>Runa is already following Ayana, and Unn is moving as well, so Eira takes a tentative step forward. Frey flies up, and then Ragna shakes herself and joins them too, and they are all trudging through the village, huddled close together.</p><p>It feels like a dream, as if she could wake every moment, pressed close to Niklaus' side. He would look at her and call her an idiot, and hold her close until the first sun beams lit the horizon.</p><p>She hears his voice before she sees him, and she propels herself forwards. He is standing near the fireplace, and Eira launches herself at him. She only notices his startled gaze just before she knocks him to the ground.</p><p>And then his hands are all over her, pulling her close, and he is sobbing into her fur. She runs her tongue over his face, again and again and again, until he is half laughing through his sobs. </p><p>Finally, she pulls back to take him in. He hasn't changed, of course he hasn't, but still she checks his face, his blue eyes and blonde hair, and his scent, more familiar than her own. </p><p>His cheeks are wet with tears, and his hair is ruffled, and her own wonder and fear and insecurity are reflected in his eyes. </p><p>But she does not feel it. She sees the realisation dawning on his face, recognizes the same horror by his widening eyes, but nothing trickles her way. Their bond, the link between them which had once flowed so openly is now dead and silent. </p><p>He might as well be a stranger to her. </p><p>"Eira..." he whispers, and the anguish is too much. </p><p>She spins around, and runs.
</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>
Many years later, while she lies hidden in a cargo ship which would soon depart from the port of Chicago, she thinks back on that moment. </p><p>Had she already known then, felt it instinctively, what they would become? </p><p>Ragna had suspected, she is sure. The lioness had confessed to her in the dark of the night, a few months after they had fled the village, her voice laced with regret. </p><p>"I don't know who he is any more."</p><p>Now she and Elijah are probably dead, and Frey, Runa and Unn are forced to live as their animal counterparts while Rebekah, Kol and Finn lie daggered.</p><p>In the two years after they ran from New Orleans, Klaus had drowned his sorrows in blood and alcohol. Rebekah had joined him, and Frey had been absent, leaving Eira to watch as they slipped further and further away from her. </p><p>She should not have been surprised, really, that the dagger would find its way into Rebekah's heart. When she had met Klaus' cold stare across Rebekah's limp body, she had known she no longer belonged at his side.</p><p>She had turned around and hadn't looked back.</p><p>A horn indicates the departure of the ship. She curls up more tightly in the cold hull, and buries her snout under her tail. </p><p>Their mother always said that there was no bond stronger than that between a human and their daemon.</p><p>That was one of the many lies she had told.</p><p>It turned out, even that bond can be broken.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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